The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 70

“My goodness! It’s a black beast, Your Highness…!”

“Shh, hold on.”

Stella stopped Dora, who had gasped in shock. The monster that had locked eyes with them didn’t move, only stared at them. Dark red blood dripped steadily onto the cobblestones from where it stood.

The monster was injured. It must have fled desperately, evading the attacks of the soldiers guarding the Ice Castle. If they didn’t provoke it, perhaps it would just pass by, or maybe a soldier pursuing it would appear soon.

However, the monster instantly recognized the weaker prey and puffed up its body. Despite being wounded and on the run, it lowered itself, on high alert, watching their every move. It was the unmistakable stance of an animal about to pounce.

‘…This can’t be.’

Overwhelmed with a sense of despair, Stella grabbed Dora’s arm and slowly began to back away. This wasn’t the time for this; she had to find Islay before Benoch carried out his plans.

The moment she repeated his name in her mind, her thoughts clicked sharply into place.

She couldn’t die like this. A pointless death wasn’t in Stella’s fate. She didn’t know the method of the sacrificial ritual, but would her death at the claws and teeth of this beast truly help break Islay’s curse? She was certain it wouldn’t.

‘I’ve come to a decision with my own heart…!’

Moreover, wasn’t the monster in front of her the embodiment of the self-loathing Islay had carried? A determined resolve flared within her.

Stella adjusted her grip on the sweat-slicked handle of the dagger. She had just gathered enough courage to pick up her weapon and leave the tower—now, she needed to be even braver.

Without taking her eyes off the monster, Stella shifted her gaze slightly.

A few steps away, there was a general store. The door wasn’t locked, and there was no one inside. She could see it clearly.

Keeping her eyes on the monster, she led Dora along, inching their way toward the store. It took only five steps to reach it, but it was a tense standoff the whole way.

But just as Dora stumbled, weakened by the paralytic poison, the monster bent its back and lunged at them on all fours.

“Kyaa!”

At the same moment, Stella grabbed the door handle, threw it open, and threw herself inside. Bang! She slammed the door shut just in time, and the monster crashed into it, bouncing back with a heavy thud. Stella stood against the door with all her might.

“Dora! Find something to bolt the door with…!”

“I-I’m looking…!”

Dora, who had tumbled to the floor when they entered, scrambled to her feet. Staggering around, the maid grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and handed it over. Stella wedged it across the trembling door to secure it.

The beast, with only the door between them, roared and slammed into it repeatedly. But with Dora’s help, they managed to keep the door firmly shut.

Before long, an eerie silence fell over the store, as if the commotion had never happened.

The two women held their breath in the quiet. Dora, leaning against a nearby counter to steady herself, whispered cautiously.

“I don’t hear anything… Did it give up and leave?”

“I can’t be sure… but we should check if there’s a back door.”

“Eek, I’ll check right away!”

As Dora turned away, Stella pressed her ear against the door. There was nothing but an uncanny stillness outside. Pulling her head back, she stared intently at the thick wooden door.

“……!”

Suddenly, a faint headache passed, and she could clearly see beyond the door. About six paces away, the black beast was crouched down. It was readying itself to sprint full speed at them again.

The monster stretched out its legs and launched itself forward.

“Dora, watch out!”

Bang!

With a deafening crash, the broom barring the entrance shattered into pieces. Wood fragments rained down on Stella, who had fallen from the impact. Hinges clattered across the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The beast, now inside, stood atop the broken door. It looked around the store, then raised its sharp claws and strode toward Dora.

Dora, who had reached her limit trying to hold on, fainted before she could run. Unlike Stella, who had been struck in the thigh, Dora had been hit in the shoulder, causing the poison to spread much faster.

Seeing the monster, Stella shouted desperately before she could even get up.

“Stop! Stay away!”

She grabbed anything that had fallen off the shelves and hurled it at the monster. One white candle she threw by chance hit the creature squarely on the head. The black beast turned its head toward her.

Its blood-red eyes gleamed. The teeth glistening between its wolf-like snout were razor-sharp. It snarled, wrinkling its snout in anger.

“Ha… Haa…”

Panting, Stella frantically picked up her dagger and aimed it at the monster. But she wasn’t sure if she could even scratch it. The monster loomed over her, its massive shadow falling over her head. Sticky saliva dripped from its mouth, which reeked of blood.

To make matters worse, her mind began to grow foggy. Stella backed away on her bottom, looking up at the monster.

No, I can’t die like this.

The wolf-like creature, standing on two legs, scraped the wooden floor with its long claws. It seemed like the end was near.

Swick!

The sickening sound of flesh being sliced rang out. Warm blood splattered across Stella’s face. Her pupils dilated in fear.

The massive creature, which had seemed larger than a boulder, had been sliced diagonally in half.

Stella blinked, her eyelids fluttering open and closed. Over the collapsing, heavy body, she saw a figure standing tall like a conqueror.

A towering physique that even overwhelmed monsters, dark hair like the night sky, and eyes blazing like fire.

The resemblance to the beast falling before her was uncanny, almost like an illusion.

“Ah…”

No, he isn’t a monster.

Just as she was about to whisper his name with trembling lips, the consciousness she’d barely held onto seemed to snap, as if cut by scissors. Her vision went dark as she collapsed like a wooden log.

But there was no pain from the fall. Perhaps it was due to the paralytic poison. A man’s low voice tickled her ear, sounding distant.

In the foggy depths of her fading consciousness, the crimson eyes she saw last also grew blurred. The strange, colorful hue she had glimpsed within them faded away too.

***

I need to find Islay…

It was a thought that repeated in Stella’s clouded mind, even as it blurred.

She couldn’t let it end so vainly. She had to reveal the full truth behind all these events.

Her thoughts gradually became clearer as Stella struggled to lift her heavy eyelids.

The ceiling she saw was unfamiliar. Stella, unable to understand her surroundings for a moment, took a dazed breath before kicking off the blanket and sitting up.

“……!”

The bedroom in the dead of night was unfamiliar. She rubbed her throbbing head, her hazy gaze sweeping around her surroundings.

From the faint smell of herbs, it seemed like a treatment room for patients. A silver candelabra with a flickering candle was in the corner, softly illuminating the room, likely left lit by someone to prevent her from waking in complete darkness.

‘What happened…’

The window was closed, and the terrible noise had faded away. The castle had turned strangely quiet, making the chaos that had erupted upon their return seem like a lie.

The last thing she remembered seeing before her consciousness faded was a pair of fiery red eyes. The same color as the monster that had tried to harm her, yet clearly radiating a different aura…

She blinked at the faint candlelight, and then a low voice sounded from right beside her.

“Your wound wasn’t deep, so I treated it myself.”

Startled, she turned her head to see Islay, who had been leaning against the wall, approaching her.

“Honestly, I didn’t want anyone else touching you.”

He reached out and touched her cheek, his knuckles brushing her skin. It was a cautious gesture, checking her temperature. Stella lowered her gaze to her arm, which was wrapped in linen. It was where Olena had scratched her with her nails.

She, who had paid no mind to her own wounds, hastily grabbed Islay’s arm.

“I’m fine. More importantly…”

“Do you realize you almost died?”

Muttering in a near-whisper, he cupped her cheek with one hand.

“You faced a monster that would rip apart any human it saw, and you completely lost consciousness.”

“…But I wasn’t hurt. You saved me, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Thank you, Islay.”

It was him who had appeared in her moment of crisis. If it hadn’t been for Islay, she would have been helpless. Yet there was no look of relief on his face.

“Yes, you were lucky. But I don’t feel that way at all.”

Stella looked up at him silently, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. Though his expression was calm, there was a twisted tension simmering beneath it. He was beyond furious that an incident had occurred in the very castle where he had sworn to ensure her safety.

Stella raised her bandaged arm and clasped his fingers tightly.

“I made it through unharmed, so it means I was lucky, all thanks to you.”

“……”

“Are you alright? The elder brought arrows coated in poison to find you. Please tell me you weren’t hit or injured…”

She swallowed nervously. What kind of poison was it again? It was the poison that had turned his ancestors into nothing more than beasts.